Police respond to fatal motorcycle crash in Berkeley

The Berkeley Police Accident Investigation Team continued to examine the scene of a fatal accident that killed a motorcyclist on Wednesday night. Photo: Frances Dinkelspiel

Update, Dec. 13, 1:21 p.m.: Bay City News is reporting that the motorcyclist who was killed in the collision Wednesday has been identified by the Alameda County coroner’s bureau as 32-year-old Berkeley resident Stephan Jarjisian.

Update, 9:42 p.m. According to a Berkeley Police Department notification sent at 9:31 p.m., authorities do not plan to release the identity of the deceased motorcyclist prior to Thursday morning.

In the email notice, police shared some additional information about Wednesday afternoon’s accident in North Berkeley. According to the notice, from spokeswoman Officer Jennifer Coats, several people gave aid to the motorcyclist prior to the arrival of emergency crews. Police began to administer CPR when they arrived. The Berkeley Fire Department then transported the motorcyclist to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The cause of the collision is still under investigation. Police ask witnesses to the incident to call the Traffic Bureau at 510-981-5980, or the non-emergency police number at 510-981-5900.

Update, 8:45 p.m. More than five hours after a motorcyclist was hit and killed in an accident with an SUV, the Berkeley Police Fatal Accident Team was combing Shattuck Avenue at Rose for details.

As patrons of the north Berkeley Off The Grid looked on, numerous police officers measured tire marks on the street, laid out evidence markers near where the motorcycle went down, and looked for clues to the accident.

Berkeley police have not yet released the name of the accident victim, who was killed around 3:11 p.m.

Update, 7:40 p.m. The Berkeley Police Department released the following information Wednesday night in response to a request from Berkeleyside. We will update this story as more information becomes available. Police said, as of 7:40 p.m., the motorcyclist had been pronounced dead.

Original police release: At approximately 3:11 p.m., BPD officers responded to the area of Shattuck and Rose for reports of an injury collision involving a vehicle and a motorcycle. The Berkeley Fire Department was also dispatched to the scene.

It was reported that the motorcyclist was down. The motorcyclist, a male in his early 30s was transported by BFD to a local hospital with life threatening injuries.

Because of the severity of the collision, the BPD Fatal Accident Investigation Team (FAIT) was called out to handle the investigation. As of 7:10 p.m. they are still on scene, with the roadway closed in that area.

The driver remained at the scene and is cooperating with the investigation. BPD does not suspect that drugs or alcohol contributed to the collision.

A police investigator examines the road where a motorcyclist was hit and killed. Photo: Frances Dinkelspiel

Perhaps you can tell the names of the local businesses that object to Off the Grid.

Guest

You are confused about this. “Lane sharing” may be legal in California, but it is dangerous nevertheless, and that is why it is illegal almost everywhere else. The California Drivers Handbook says: “Allow the motorcycle a full lane width. Although it is not illegal to share lanes with motorcycles, it is unsafe.” If it unsafe for a car to get next to a motorcycle, then it is unsafe for the motorcycle to get next to a car. There is absolutely no obligation for a car to make room when a motorcycle does that.The legal sanction of lanesplitting appears to be intended to help motorcyclists move more quickly in congested traffic. But it is dangerous even in congested conditions, perhaps especially so. It certainly wasn’t intended to give motorcyclists the right to move next to any car, any time, and expect that car to make room. “Share the road” to you means “make way for me”. You are just another person, so Berkeley, who knows all about his rights but forgets his responsibilities.

Howie Mencken

The issue is not wether the local business object, it’s: Are we (the People of Berkeley) getting our fair share of the action (taxes, fees and other charges).

Well, irrespective of whatever happened, I think it is a reminder that people can get killed on our streets. Everybody has to drive and walk with due caution and awareness of the traffic around them to prevent another tragedy…I walk all over Berkeley with a white cart. I am very hard Not to see in the middle of the street. Moreover, I try to use crosswalks as much as possible. On dozens of occasions, I have almost been run over by people who were distracted by talking or who acted like they didn’t need to yield to a pedestrian. God knows how they drive around motorcycles and bicycles.

BerkeleyResident

This is not true. The civic model in particular has actually been designed to have a lower fatality rate when hitting pedestrians. This research has come out of the high number of auto-ped injuries in Japan. Please check your facts.

ford explorer

This was a Ford Explorer and not a Ford Excursion folks. Hardly worthy of the SUV stigma people want to give it.